What do Barry Allen and Hunter Zolomon Have in Common?

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[Spoilers] Please stop reading if you do not want to read spoilers on The Flash!

During the episode “The Reverse-Flash Returns,” it was revealed that Jay Garrick’s Earth-1 counterpart is named Hunter Zolomon. To those versed in The Flash mythology, the name drop alone was enough to question whether or not Jay is who he says he is and whether or not he could be trusted.

Of course, it didn't take long for it to be revealed that Jay Garrick was Zoom. To make matters worse, Jay Garrick wasn't even Jay Garrick, but rather Hunter Zolomon. Ouch. Barry and the gang have once again fallen for the same ruse used against them by Eobard Thawne. Since discovering the truth, Barry has done everything in his power to attain greater speeds, including traveling to the past to get help from the man that murdered his mother.

“Versus Zoom,” will find the newly speed-charged Barry going up against Zoom, as well as explore Hunter Zolomon's origin story. Ahead of next week's episode, The Flash’s Teddy Sears sat down with Entertainment Weekly and revealed some fascinating tidbits of Zolomon's past, one which is very similar to that of Barry's.

Curtesy of The CW

What’s really exciting about going and looking at Hunter Zolomon’s origin story is that it very closely mirrors the Barry Allen origin story. We’re going to see what happened to Hunter as a child look almost exactly like what happened to Barry when he was a child. One man went one way and one man went the other. The template was set at a very early age for both characters. Hunter goes the opposite way that Barry goes; that’s what I can tease about where it all began, which of course gets into some really exciting stuff when Hunter and Barry begin to interact, because there’s a lot of stuff that bubbles up to the surface for Hunter that he didn’t realize was there.

It's a running gag among the comic book community that for someone to be a hero, they must first tragically lose a loved one. Some of the most iconic heroes, such as Batman and Spider-man, have lost a loved one or two, and Barry is no different. Of course, losing a loved one doesn't guarantee a hero, as we see here in Zolomon's case.

While we do not yet know who Zolomon lost, it does offer us an idea that Zoom was the result of something beyond Zolomon's control. Of course, that doesn't excuse the horrendous acts that Zoom has inflicted on the Earth-2 citizens, as well as Team Flash back on Earth-1.

Curtesy of The CW

In season one, Barry was keen on finding the man that murdered his mother. While Barry never got justice for his mother's murder, he later realized that the justice he wanted was not the justice he needed, as noted when he forgave Thawne, while watching Earth-2's Harrison Wells work. While the act of being duped by yet another mentor may sting, Barry will come to realize that he could have been Zoom had Joe not taking him under his wing. Knowing Barry, he will probably try and save Zolomon from himself, but how can he help someone who seems to be beyond help? When asked about Zolomon's state of mind, Sears said, "He’s 100 percent sociopathic, 100 percent obsessed, very much a megalomaniac, someone who is obsessed with his own power."

Who do you think Hunter Zolomon lost? Can Zolomon be saved? Or will have to be put down? Let us know below!

The Flash airs at 8 p.m. on The CW.

Equipped with the tachyon device, Barry believes he is fast enough to stop Zoom and wants to open the breaches to catch him. Harry (Tom Cavanagh) strongly advises against that plan but after Barry convinces him, Harry reveals that Cisco (Carlos Valdes) has the power to re-open the breach. Meanwhile, Hunter Zolomon's painful story on Earth-2 is revealed.

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